Chapter 3-Perfect Nightmare

Chapter 3: 3-Perfect Nightmare

Maisa did not sleep a wink. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw it again and yanked awake. The fangs, her aunt’s blood and the burns from sunlight. It was the moments her entire life had been stolen from her.

The small hotel room was quiet except for the faint crackling of the dying fire, but the silence felt louder than anything she had ever heard.

She sat curled up near the corner, wrapped in a blanket her aunt had found for her, staring down at her hands.

Her hands, the same hands that had held a blessed weapon only days ago. The same hands that had gripped silver blades, holy water, and ancient tools created to destroy creatures like her.

Those very hands were pale, cold and different from what she was used to. She slowly raised one hand, staring at the spot which had burnt in the sunlight earlier and swallowed.

’I have truly become a vampire,’ she thought.

Her fingers trembled as she reached toward the weapon she had carried from the church. It was lying near her bag, untouched.

She remembered holding it. The weight, its smooth handle. The honourable way the priest had placed it in her hands with pride and the way her father had looked at her when she showed him like she had been finally worthy and she was finally a true Everheart.

Her throat tightened. She reached for it again, slower this time. The moment her fingers brushed against the weapon, pain shot through her.

"Urghhh!" A scream tore through her throat. She immediately pulled away.

A sharp hiss left her lips. The weapon that once made her feel safe now rejected her. The weapon she believed would protect her from vampires was now protecting itself from her.

Her chest ached because it wasn’t just a weapon. It was everything she had believed in. Her family legacy, her purpose and identity. They were all gone.

Maisa lowered her hand and looked toward the small window. Outside, the moon hung high in the sky.

She had always thought the moon belonged to hunters. A symbol of the night they fought hard against their enemies but now it felt different.

The silver light touched her skin gently. There was no burning like she’d experienced from the sun. The moon didn’t reject her, it was almost warm and comforting on her skin.

Her eyes burned with tears. How could the moon be kinder to her than the sun?

The sun had exposed what she had become. However, the moon welcomed it. It embraced her without judgement.

A soft knock pulled her from her thoughts. She quickly wiped her face.

Her aunt stepped inside carrying a stack of papers, a dark bag, and a folded piece of fabric. "Maisa, are you up dear?" Her voice was gentle. It was too gentle, afraid too much noise might startle and break her fragile niece.

"Oh, you’re up. Good," she ambled to where Maisa sat. "You’re leaving tonight."

Maisa looked at her. "So soon?" She managed to let out.

Her aunt nodded. "The sooner you leave the faster you get away from your family. Its only a matter of time before they start to wonder where you are and come searching," she emphasised. "I made all the necessary arrangements."

She walked closer and placed the papers down. "These are your new identification documents."

Maisa stared at the documents. Her name was there, not completely changed. It was still Maisa just not Everheart.

Her breath caught and her heart stung. "You kept my first name?"

Her aunt gave her a sad smile. "I thought changing your name completely might make the transition hurt even more. You’re still Maisa. Just not Maisa Everheart. From now on you are known as Maisa Loven."

Maisa’s tightened around the papers. "How did you get this done so quickly?" She asked, it had only been a few hours since her aunt came for her

Aunt Evelyn sighed. It wasn’t easy to do and she was exhausted. "I called in favors."

Maisa stayed silent. Her eyes gazing down at her new last name that was a reminder of how badly her life had changed in one day.

"I helped a few vampires escape years ago," her aunt confessed.

Maisa’s eyes widened slightly. Her aunt had never spoken about that so she had no clue about it. "Vampires?"

"Yes," Evelyn admitted. "They were being hunted. Our family wanted them dead. I helped them escape."

Maisa looked away. A small part of her felt ashamed. Because she knew exactly what kind of family she came from.

"I reached out to them and they were able to secure a spot for you at Veris vampire academy. They even helped with necessities you’d need," she explained.

Her aunt placed another item in front of her. A uniform. It was red and dark with the academy emblem on it.

Maisa stared at it without saying a word. The uniform was different from her previous ones. It had no hunter markings, no blessed symbols and no place for weapons. Just the uniform of the thing she had become.

"The academy accepted you to have you enroll," her aunt said. ℴ

Her stomach twisted. "The vampire academy?"

"Yes, dear."

Maisa laughed weakly. It sounded broken like she was deep down. "How tragic."

Her aunt frowned. "Maisa..."

"I spent my entire life learning how to kill vampires," she stared, looked down at the uniform and bit her lower lip. "And now I’m going to school with them?"

Her aunt sat beside her. "I know it’s a lot but nothing can be changed now. We can only move forward," her aunt didnt sugar coat anything. "You will learn how to survive, my child. I believe that."

Maisa swallowed. "Survive among monsters."

Her aunt’s expression changed. Her face showed sadness. "Don’t call yourself that."

Maisa looked away and avoided her gaze because she wasn’t sure she believed she was still human anymore.

Her aunt opened the brochure. "This is Veris Vampire Academy." She pointed at the pages. "The largest vampire academy in existence."

Maisa stared at the pictures. A massive gothic castle, dark towers and ancient halls were on the visible. A place built for vampires...not hunters.

"Classes begin at night for nightwalkers like yourself. They offer a lot of training; Combat training, blood control, history, and magic."

Her eyes froze on the word, blood. She looked away feeling the reality settle in her.

"And your supplies have already been arranged for you. Everything you’ll need."

Maisa nodded faintly. She hated how prepared her aunt was. She hated how much she needed it because there was no other way forward.

"You can’t stay here," her aunt continued. "Your body will become weaker without blood."

Maisa flinched. Her words were a reminder to Maisa that staying meant turning her ain’t into her living, breathing, bloodbag. She hated that.

"And you need to arrive at the academy before sunrise."

The word made her stomach drop. The sunrise, a thing she once loved, now her new enemy.

The carriage was ready outside. The place she was going, cars weren’t allowed and the roads were too narrow for cars to pass.

The horses moved restlessly, their breath visible in the cold air. Before Maisa stepped inside, her aunt grabbed her hand.

"Listen carefully," she said, panicked. Maisa looked at her. "No one at that academy can know who you are."

Her voice was serious. "Your family can’t know where you are. Fellow students should not know your history. Not the Everheart name."

Maisa nodded. She understood the repercussions better than anyone. "They would kill me if any side finds out."

Her aunt didn’t argue. "Yes, so you must be careful."

A painful truth that came her new identity.

"And don’t worry about your family. I’ll handle them," her aunt assured her. Her aunt squeezed her hand. "I’ll tell them you stayed with me for a while and that you went abroad for studies."

Maisa’s eyes softened. "You’d lie to everyone for me?" Her eyes moistened. That was a move that not even her mother would do for her and her aunt was doing so, without hesitation.

"I’m protecting you. A little lie is nothing," she admitted.

That broke something inside Maisa because after everything that happened, her aunt still chose to accept her and protect her.

Maisa stepped into the carriage. She changed into the academy uniform inside. The red fabric felt wrong against her skin like she was wearing the identity of her enemy.

When she stepped out again, her aunt looked at her for a long moment. Then smiled, "You look like yourself, beautiful child."

Maisa almost cried. Her aunt hugged her tightlyand bid her goodbye. "Maisa, dear. You are not your family’s hatred."

The words stayed with Maisa even after she entered the carriage and the door closed.

The carriage raced through the night. The driver had strict instructions from her aunt, ’Do not let the sun catch them on the road not even for a moment.’

Maisa sat silently, watching the darkness outside. Her hands rested in her lap. She couldn’t stop thinking about the vampires she had killed.

Their faces came back to her. The memory of the glorious battles and the pride she once wore.

The faces.

What would happen if vampires found out about her kills? Would they see a vampire? Or would they see an Everheart?

Her stomach twisted. The students there were vampires. Most of whom were born to the role while others were turned.

They were everything she was trained to hate. The kind of beings who would have every reason to hate her.

She imagined their anger, their disgust and their desire for revenge. A shiver ran through her.

The vampire who turned her hadn’t just punished her. They had created the perfect nightmare for her. An Everheart hunter forced to live among vampires as a vampire. There was nothing more terrifying.